Unintentional Child Neglect

Child neglect is a very real issue. In fact, it is the leading cause of children being removed from their homes by child welfare agencies (Gerdes, 2004). The problem is, do all of these children truly need to leave their homes? Are they really being neglected? In many cases, the answer is no. Child welfare agencies use a broad definition of neglect which can find a parent guilty of something as simple as letting their child play outside alone. Child neglect should be redefined because true neglect could be effectively addressed and treated, the number of neglect cases would be decreased, and truly neglectful acts, such as morbid obesity, should be included in the definition.
With an improved definition, neglect can be effectively addressed and treated. Friedman and Billick mention a study in “Unintentional Child Neglect: Literature Review and Observational Study” (2014) in which Schnitzer, Covington, and Kruse (2011) tried to assess caregiver responsibility in unintentional child injury deaths. They had a difficult time because of changing social norms and lack of standards of minimally adequate care since the definition of neglect differs …show more content…
A 2005 article entitled “Toward a definition of neglect in young children” (English, et al) argues that the definition of neglect should be changed to be child-focused rather than legal/policy considerations. It proposes the definition of neglect should be based on if a child’s needs are being unmet and what the subsequent impact on the child’s development will be. This supports my argument because it provides information about the definition of neglect, what young children need, and examples of what should be included in the definition of neglect based on their study. Changing the definition to reflect these findings would help minimize neglect cases as things such as leaving a child of a certain age alone would not be considered